Advocacy group: The city's value engineering study for East River Park does not exist

A value engineering study, an oft-cited factor behind the city's change of plans in September 2018 to bury/elevate East River Park by eight feet as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, does not exist, according to advocacy group East River Park Action.

On Friday, in a reply to the group's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, NYC's Department of Design and Construction (DDC) stated that the city's value engineering report could not be sent because:

"DDC's search of agency records revealed no responsive documents for [the FOIL] request."

In response, East River Park Action issued the following statement:

This means that the present massive $1.45 billion plan lacks the basic justification for the change that doubled the cost and destruction.

According to a “Fact Sheet” from de Blasio’s office on Sept. 28, 2018, "The adoption of the new design follows a value engineering study performed earlier this year and a review of the project by a panel of experts with experience from around the nation."

In addition, the independent analyst from the Dutch firm, Deltares, who Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera hired, also reportedly requested this value engineering report: 

"The 'value engineering report' leads to the conclusion that Alternative 4 can be completed faster and with a greater degree of certainty," he wrote. However, he never saw the document. "This value engineering report is not publicly available," he noted.

This nonexistent value engineering study and invisible review by a panel of experts paved the way for the new plan and scrapped a less destructive plan that had been developed over years of community and city joint planning.

The city's current plan, which has been met with outrage by community members, will raze the 57.5-acre East River Park, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill meant to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea level rise. 

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be complete in 2025. 

The start of construction, which had been slated to commence this past fall, was delayed until this spring, according to a recent presentation the city made.

However, given the revelation about the value engineering study, "we demand the city stop the ESCR plan so it can be further reviewed," Fannie Ip of East River Park Action said in a statement. "This is not the 'Greener, More Equitable' NYC, which the de Blasio administration has repeatedly promised."

You can read East River Park's full statement and ongoing concerns at this link.

Costume drama: Halloween Adventure is closing next month

As you may have heard, Halloween Adventure is shutting down in the weeks ahead at 808 Broadway/104 Fourth Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The costume shop has been holding big sales since early December, arousing suspicions of a closure, though nothing had been made official ... Time Out was able to get confirmation from an employee last week...

According to SecretNYC, the store will shut down at the end of February. A worker blamed the closure on a lack of business in recent months during the pandemic.

The company has been around since 1981 with outposts and pop-up shops in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Here's some of the store's EV history via Time Out: 

[Halloween Adventure] first opened a temporary pop-up store in 1991 and continued to open pop-ups in the East Village until 1996, including at spaces that now house Forbidden Planet on East 13th and Broadway and the Fed/Ex Kinkos on Astor Place. 

In 1996, it found its permanent home in what used to be a World Gym at 104 Fourth Ave. and in 2004, it expanded and got a second entrance at 808 Broadway.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

A deli-grocery for the southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue A

Renovations have started at the storefront on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue A. 

The posted work permits state that a "deli & grocery" is in the works for the address...

This is a pretty small space, so it may very well be a deli-grocery of the smoke shop variety.

Dion Cleaners held down this corner for 35 years ... until this past November.

The Schmackary's outpost on Cooper Square isn't reopening

One of the two retail spaces at 35 Cooper Square (at Sixth Street) is now for rent... marking the official end of the Schmackary's outpost. 

The bakery, sporting 75-plus varieties of cookies plus brownie's, etc., never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020. Their main store on West 45th Street remains in business as does its online service.

Schmackary's opened here in July 2019... Previously: Pourt, the cafe-work space combo, closed after 11 months in December 2017 here in the retail base of the Marymount Manhattan College dormitory. 

Carving out a retail space at 56 St. Mark's Place

The 8-story residential building known as The Saint at 56 St. Mark's Place is now advertising retail space on the property between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The retail for-rent sign that arrived on Friday shows that there are three spaces available — spread out over the ground, first and second floors and featuring more than 10,000 square feet in total. The space can also be combined. (The listing isn't online just yet.)

Not sure what's in the space currently ... or why this the right time to put more retail on the market when plenty of empty storefronts line the neighborhood.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Can you spot the one-floor addition atop 94-96 Avenue A?

🤔

Late last week, the construction netting on the south-facing wall at 94-96 Avenue A came down, revealing even more of the one-floor extension on the building here on the northeast corner of Sixth Street.

Several readers have commented just how poorly the new floor fits in with the old building...

According to the approved permit, the work includes an interior renovation of the fourth-floor apartments and an addition of a fifth floor. 

The building's square footage increased from 8,304 to 10,151. Despite the expansion, the taller No. 94-96 will have 10 residential units instead of the current 11. The filing also shows that there are plans for a roof deck.

Penn South Capital paid $9.6 million for the property in March 2019, per public records. Pini Milstein was the principal owner of the building as well as the operator of the Sidewalk, which closed in February 2019 in the retail space after 32-plus years. 

The bar-restaurant August Laura has been the tenant since October 2019. 

Previously on EV Grieve:
• 1-floor expansion planned for Avenue A building that housed the Sidewalk

• The building housing the former Sidewalk sells on Avenue A

Sunday's parting shots

VHS fest on First Avenue and Fourth Street today ... photos by William Klayer... please be kind — rewind!

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included (with a photo from Union Square by Derek Berg) ...

• A 21-story office building planned for the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery (Friday) 

 • Cafe Himalaya reopens, thanks community for support after family member dies from COVID-19 (Wednesday) 

• RIP Hanshi Wilfredo Roldan (Thursday)

• Concern again for the historic Merchant's House Museum on 4th Street (Wednesday) 

• A new era for Via Della Pace on 4th Street (Monday) 

•  The gas is back on at Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A (Monday) 

• This week's NY See panel (Wedensday) 

• Gallery Watch goes to the Home Alone Group Show at ATM Gallery (Wednesday) 

• [plant-baked] debuts on 7th Street (Friday) 

• A bar called Spike's is coming to 218 Avenue A (Wedensday) 

• 5 Napkin Burger Express gives way to Tamam Falafel on 14th Street (Friday) 

• Hope for Little Poland in 2021? (Tuesday) 

• Citing "restrictions, bans and curfews for the restaurant industry," the Dumpling Shop closes (Monday)

• Bibi Wine Bar takes a winter break (Tuesday)

• Gino Sorbillo now closed for renovations on the Bowery (Wednesday) 

•  2021 development watch: 124 E. 14th St. (Tuesday) 

• Van Leeuwen reopens post-fire on 7th Street (Tuesday) 

• Tio Pio debuts on 14th Street with quick-serve Latin cuisine (Tuesday)

• Local artists give kids something to smile about at new dental outpost on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• The Boilery has closed on 3rd Avenue (Monday) 

• Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse has closed for now on the Lower East Side (Sunday)

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Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Saturday's parting shots

As seen on St. Mark's Place this week... thanks to Steven for the photos...

[Updated] Missing animal

Missing flyers are out for a "mixed lost animal." The description includes "huge ears" and "long tail." There's a reward for the animal too. 

As seen at the Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden. Thanks to Robert Miner for the photo.

Updated!

Turns out this is a Fennec fox ... and the fox was found safely and back with his/her owner...

Community Boards hosting town hall to discuss the Open Restaurants and Open Streets programs

Open Restaurants and Open Streets, two programs the city introduced last year during the pandemic, are the subject of a virtual town hall this Tuesday night.

Community Board 3 and Community Board 6, which serves the east side from 14th Street to 59th Street, are hosting the event... with sponsorship by local City Council members Carlina Rivera and Margaret Chin as well as Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

Per the invite: "Hear from agencies to clarify regulations and answer your questions to make these programs work better for us." 

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. You may submit questions in advance here.

Details to tune in follow:

Online: https://zoom.us/j/97467588948

By Phone: +1 646 518 9805, +1 929 205 6099

Webinar ID: 974 6758 8948

Reminders: Saturday No. 2 of MulchFest starts SOOOON

Today marks the grand finale of MulchFest season, as the chipper will be out in Tompkins Square Park from 10 a.m. to ??? Swing by for the festivities ... and generous amounts of mulch to take home.

The Sanitation Department is also collecting and composting (non-decorated) trees left curbside through Jan. 15. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo earlier this week!

'Five Years' to start the New Year

 

A televised version of "Five Years" by David Bowie from 1972... from "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." 

Bowie was born on this day in 1947. (And he died on Jan. 10, 2016.)

A 21-story office building planned for the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery

Permits were filed yesterday for a 21-floor mixed-use development — a 283-foot-tall office building — at the site of the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery.

According to the proposed plan, the well-employed architect Morris Adjmi's building will encompass 98,799 square feet, with 26,000 square feet set aside for use as an unspecified community facility. 

Permits show office amenities that include several roof terraces and a "passive recreation" area. There's also a mention of a bicycle rental or repair shop on the ground floor. 

As we first reported on Dec. 8, permits were filed to demolish the one-level structure that housed the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery at Fourth Street from 1994 through the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE last March. 

CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery, previously a gas station before its conversion into the onetime hotspot. B Bar owner Eric Goode, who owns a handful of hotels, including the Bowery Hotel across the way, has been assembling air rights to build a larger development on this corner space. 

As for the B Bar, it was expected to close for good this past August. However, the bar-restaurant never reopened after the PAUSE. As we reported back on April 3, nearly 70 B Bar employees were laid off without any extension of benefits or offer of severance pay.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance

[plant-baked] debuts today on 7th Street

A new bakery called [plant-baked] opens today (Friday) at 117 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

This is the first storefront for 3B Eats, a plant-based bakery that started catering and wholesale sales (and several pop ups) on the LES during the height of the pandemic here in the spring of 2020.

Here's more about the storefront via their Instagram account:

We’ll have: 

•Classic Croissants

•Spicy Cheese Croissants

•Pain au Chocolat

•Kouign-Amann

•Masala Chai Queen

•Oat Cherry Chocolate (OCC) Cookies

•Chocolate Chip Cookies

•Palmiers

•Cranberry Chocolate Seedy Bars (gf!).

Our kitchen is free from Palm Oil, Animal Products, Sesame, Soy, Peanuts and Tree Nuts (except Coconut, because Coconut isn’t a tree nut).

Their service window is open daily starting at 8 a.m. until they sell out of stuff. 

The bakery was originally going to open last week, but the flooding as a result of the second broken water main on First Avenue at Seventh Street ended up causing damage to the oven. (Thankfully it was under warranty.) 

5 Napkin Burger Express gives way to Tamam Falafel on 14th Street

On 14th Street at Third Avenue, 5 Napkin Burger Express has closed. (Thanks to food writer Nick Solares for the above photo!) 

The space isn't going to be vacant long, however. Singage is already up for the new tenant — the plant-based Tamam Falafel, which also has a location on the UES. The sign arrived Wednesday, per EVG reader Eddie...

This quick-serve outpost for the 5 Napkin Burger chainlet opened in the fall of 2019.

RIP Hanshi Wilfredo Roldan

 An EVG reader shared the following in memoriam ...

 
Longtime Lower East Side resident and martial arts legend Wilfredo Roldan, or Hanshi, passed away on Christmas Day. He was 69.

Some readers may have seen a small shrine pop up outside the former University of the Streets building at 130 E. Seventh St. near Avenue A, where he taught and ran the Nisei Goju-Ryu system for many years.

Roldan was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York at a young age. His martial arts career began in the mid-1960s, when he trained under local greats including Sensei Owen Watson and Grand Master Frank Ruiz. Martial arts were a valuable asset in the streets of the Lower East Side.
 
As Roldan progressed Nisei Goju-Ryu, mentoring countless students along the way, he was a regular at Odessa and other neighborhood hotspots. Watch him tell the story of the dojo and more local lore here and you can notice a characteristic twinkle in his eyes.
 
Having starred in a number of martial arts movies in the 1970s ("Black Force," "Velvet Smooth" and "Dragon Express"), he also taught physical education in NYC Public Schools for over two decades. With the "University of the Streets, the Prequel" (shot at Seventh Street and Avenue A), he continued to add to his list of endeavors and accomplishments.
 
He will be missed, but his spirit carries on. Osu.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around NYC ... as well as political observations on current events...

Gallery Watch: Home Alone Group Show at ATM Gallery

 Text and photos by Clare Gemima 

Home Alone Group Show

ATM Gallery, 54 Henry St.

Going rogue and off-map seeking out ATM Gallery, I was highly appreciative of taking a friend's advice on visiting. The exhibit was a fresh send off to the weirdest and saddest year possible, lining the walls with young artist's work that mixed painterly, graphic and illustrative practices under one young roof. 

Having only opened this past September, ATM Gallery is a space that oozes vivacity as soon as you walk in; from the artwork, the attitude and the engagement from its founders. Not only is a congratulations in order, but also a watchful eye needs to be kept on this space. 

The excitement in the face of the gallerists as they spoke about their curation process, exhibiting artists and general views on artistic sustainability blew my mind — it was clearly way beyond a passion project for William and Madeline who I spoke to on my visit to HOME ALONE. 

It was also extremely encouraging knowing that there were spaces run by passionate and proactive people, focused in their pursuit to showcase young artists popping up on the Lower East Side. The exhibition highlights work from 15 artists living in different places locally and globally, celebrating the gallery's community of respected artists and friends who were dedicated in their support throughout such an unprecedented (but also arguably incredible) year for art-making and makers alike. 

Be warned, it is a hard show to want to leave. This is perhaps because of the shared and dire experiences depicted by these artists that most viewers can relate to right now, but, I assure you it also offers much-needed ease. The work's materials, visual connections and formative expressions in HOME ALONE are as diversified as the experiences that each artist had while preparing for the show during the onslaught of COVID-19. 

Together, Anna Park, Mike Lee, Eliot Greenwald, Roby Dwi Antono, Koichi Sato, Mark Ryan Chariker, Caleb Hahne, Michael Kagan, Alexis Ralaivao, Luisiana Mera, Thomas Radin, Matt Leines, Sun Woo, Ji Woo Kim and Juilo Anaya Cabanding share documentations of their time living globally, separately, isolated and alone.

HOME ALONE will be running until Jan. 17 at ATM Gallery, 54 Henry St.

 

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

Cafe Himalaya reopens, thanks community for support after family member dies from COVID-19

After nearly two months, Cafe Himalaya reopened yesterday on First Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Originally Con Ed work forced the temporary closing of the 19-year-old family restaurant in late October, which stretched into November. 

Sadly, it turns out they also lost a family member to COVID-19. They addressed the loss in an Instagram post yesterday:

On a personal note, thank you to everyone who reached out to us in the last few weeks. We deeply appreciate your kind words during what has been an unimaginably difficult time. In early Dec, we found ourselves as part of the now 353,000+ American families who have lost an immediate family member to covid. The pain and suffering on our personal front has been immense and we pray that no individual or family has to undergo a similar situation.

As we try to reopen our space in the midst of our loss, we thank you for being part of our community. Let’s all do our part in exercising responsibility and taking care of each other.

Cafe Himalaya is open Tuesday-Sunday from noon-9 p.m. Find their website here. Or call: 212.358.0160

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Checking in on Cafe Himalaya

Concern again for the historic Merchant's House Museum on 4th Street

The landmarked Merchant's House Museum is sounding the alarm again — this time over yet another new proposed development for the lot next door on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette.

Here are more details via the Merchant’s House website:

As if 2020 wasn't difficult enough for our dear Merchant's House, the developer filed an application in early December for a new building next door at 27 East 4th Street, one that is taller and more massive than the original proposed hotel!

Irreversible damage from the construction is guaranteed and the risk of collapse of our fragile 189-year-old landmark building is even higher.

For the third time, on December 17, Community Board 2 voted unanimously to REJECT the developer's latest application. 

The application now goes before the Landmarks Preservation Commission next Tuesday. (The website has details on how you can take part in the LPC meeting.)

Here is some background about this ongoing project: The development firm Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build a hotel adjacent to the Merchant’s House Museum for nearly 10 years. 

In January 2019, the developers sued New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over the rejection of their Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application for the project.

The Real Deal first reported on the suit:

Kalodop's lawsuit ... asks the court to reverse the City Council's disapproval and enter a judgement approving its ULURP application. It argues that the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the City Planning Commission had already approved their project and attributes community anxiety to "a grass roots campaign of fear and misinformation" from the Merchant's House Museum that "spurred local community members and representatives into action with a false narrative that any construction at the property would cause the Merchant's House to be catastrophically damaged."

The lawsuit is still pending, which, as the Merchant's House points out, means that the developer currently has two open applications for construction on the same lot. 

The developers were seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning in September 2019.

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Aside from Rivera, Sen. Brad Hoylman, Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Community Board 2 were also opposed to the current application for the 8-story hotel. 

The developers have promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure would not be harmed during the hotel construction. 

This project dates to 2011. After several hearings through the years (here and here, as examples), the Landmarks Preservation Commission eventually signed off on the project (in 2014) as did the City Planning Commission (August 2018).

The developers can still build a six-story building on the site even without the rezoning. (They also own the lot around the corner at 403 Lafayette St., which the Merchant's House has suggested would make a better spot for the hotel.)

The proposed site of the hotel, 27 E. Fourth St., currently houses Al-Amin Food Inc., which houses carts for street vendors. 

More history of the Merchant's House: "Built in 1832 and home to a prosperous merchant family, the Tredwells, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years, it remains complete with the family’s original furnishings, household objects, clothing, and personal memorabilia."

The Museum is currently open by appointment.

A bar called Spike's is coming to 218 Avenue A

You may have noticed a new name on the front door at 218 Avenue A ... a bar called Spike's is in the works for this space between 13th Street and 14th Street...

We're told that the owner of the Spotted Owl (and other ventures) on Avenue A at 13th Street is behind this pending establishment. No word on an opening date.

This space was previously the Horsebox, the sports bar that opened in the spring of 2010 ... they never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020. A for-lease sign arrived here in August. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Gino Sorbillo now closed for renovations on the Bowery

A "temporarily closed for renovation" sign now greets patrons at the Gino Sorbillo outpost at 334 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond...

There isn't any message about a closure on the pizzeria's social media. Their website is now offline, and the phone goes to a random voice mailbox. They had previously been open for takeout and delivery ... as well as some outdoor seating.

The first U.S. pizzeria from "the Neapolitan celebrity super-chef" Gino Sorbillo arrived here in November 2017. In 2019, the controversial pizzaioli, who has reportedly spoken out against the mob, closed his flagship pizzeria in Naples after a bomb exploded outside his restaurant. 

Meanwhile, right next door, Burkelman, the high-end home-design shop, has closed for the winter...

... with online sales continuing. All signs point to a spring return.

Tuesday's parting shot

Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, spotted taking a break atop the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street today... thanks to Steven for the photo!

Hope for Little Poland in 2021?

With so many familiar favorites and old standbys closing these past nine-plus months... we can only presume the worse about any bar-restaurant that has yet to reopen in any capacity since the PAUSE of March 2020.

     

On that list: Little Poland.

The diner, which opened in 1985 at 200 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street, remains dark.

However, in a hopeful sign, the diner's Instagram account posted a New Year's wish... with a note saying: "We ... hope we get to see all your beautiful faces soon!"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Little Poland Restaurant (@littlepoland_nyc)

In a previous Instagram post from this past November, Little Poland left a comment saying they would likely reopen that month when there was talk that indoor dining capacity would increase to 50 percent. That obviously never happened.

2021 development watch: 124 E. 14th St.

Here's a start of January 2021 look at 124 E. 14th St., aka Zero Irving (and formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center and 14 @ Irving ... and tech hub) ...

It's a development to watch in 2021 as the building moves closer to occupancy. 

Work has moved quickly here (in the grand scheme of things). Workers topped out here back in the fall... roughly when the leasing began.

The latest Zero Irving e-newsletter states the rooftop scaffolding has been removed. Also!

Bathroom tile installation has begun on the 14th floor and will continue moving up the building as available. The painter will be priming walls on the 11th and 12th floors. Lobby framing and rough-in work has commenced and will continue throughout this period.

The 21-story building, developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as "a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces and state-of-the-art event space ... on the seven floors beneath," per the Zero Irving announcement issued last October. Food-hall specialists Urban­Space officially signed the lease for 10,000 square feet on the ground level late last summer.

And if you want to hear more, reps from RAL will be providing an overview tomorrow evening to CB3's Economic Development Committee. The item provides this: "status update on construction and upcoming leasing opportunities." (Zoom meeting info is at the CB3 website.)

The new building — long contested by local preservationists and community groups (see links below) — sits on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son on city-owned property.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC

• Speaking out against a 'Silicon Alley' in this neighborhood

• City Council unanimously approves tech hub; some disappointment in lack of zoning protections 

• The conversation continues on the now-approved tech hub for 14th Street

• P.C. Richard is gone on 14th Street; preservationists want answers about tech-hub commitments